Healthy Neural Pathways

Today I am grateful for an early morning run in nature's beauty, friends in recovery, and opportunities to trust and let go of my teenage son Sam to help him mature and have a good sense of independence.

Day 1 of the Everyday Gratitude exploration at gratefulness.org referenced feeling satisfied and asked the question "How am I rich?" For me, it is in the things I mentioned above, and in so much more, including healthy neural pathways. Those pathways are signified in this picture:

Healthy neural pathways have trained my brain and my body to enjoy and seek the habits of exercise and living gratefully. My current gratitude journal and the pen in my hand simply reflect my daily effort to note two things for which I am grateful and to offer prayers and intentions for a few other people currently facing challenges and struggles. 

This healthy pathway has changed my default thought process from the very closed-minded and self-defeating perception that was full of self-pity and fear. In opening my mind to the gifts and riches of the present moment, my heart and soul have also been opened. There is love for self and others that would have gone untapped otherwise.

My feet in my current pair of running shoes had just completed about 8 miles of running, stride by stride, in the stunning beauty of our community's great outdoors. I seek exercise, a clear mind, and mood-boosting endorphins without much struggle on most days. 

I may not always want to get my body moving, but I know without a doubt I will feel better when I do. And that makes it easier to start, to begin, to get going. The rest seems to take care of itself. 

Healthy neural pathways, via regular habits, have helped me create a more thriving and kind view of self and surrounding world. They have made all the difference.